Mayoral Column 4th May 2017

Trees in roundabouts

At Tuesday night’s council meeting I put forward a mayoral
minute that requested General Manager Warwick Bennett present a report to
Council in the next three months on the cost and implication of planting trees
in every roundabout within Goulburn City. This would be done over a two year
period, and the report will include the implications of relocating all plants
currently in roundabouts over 500mm high to other locations within the city.

This report is based on considerable feedback I have
received from the community through emails, personal representations and
talkback radio. I’ve repeatedly heard that some members of our community have
difficulty at roundabouts seeing past current plantings.

When further discussing these issues, I’ve often put forward
the question of a single tree in the centre of each roundabout, with
groundcover around it, as recommended by our Street Tree Working party. This
has been met with strong support by most community members.

In my recent visit to Western Australia I toured two cities
in the Greater Perth metropolitan area; both of these cities used trees in
roundabouts, and I thought it added considerable value to the aesthetics and
environmental image of each city.

Other results of council meeting

·We awarded a contract for the installation of
heating and cooling at the Veolia Arena

·A number of policies were reviewed by council,
the details of which are available to view in the minutes of the meeting

·Council formalised establishment of a Hockey
Facilities Working Party with representatives from Upper Lachlan Shire Council,
Goulburn Hockey, Crookwell Hockey and Goulburn Mulwaree Council. Our
representatives will be Cr Andrew Banfield and Cr Peter Walker who I’m sure will
do a great job.

Responsible dog ownership

I’m aware of a few incidents around the region in the last few weeks
with dogs off leash, including an attack. When in a public place your dog MUST
be under the effective control of a competent person at all times. Dogs are of course welcome in public
spaces such as the Wollondilly River Walkway, Goulburn Wetlands and council
reserves, but should be walked by an adult capable of restraining the dog.

We also have established off-leash areas
in Eastgrove, Victoria Park, Jack White Park and now Garfield Park, where you
can let your dog off the leash for some freedom – please take advantage of
these spots.

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